She had made a mistake.

While Jörmungandr grazed, the tricolour filly had moved off to play on her own. Her mother didn't seem too mind much now that the pale girl was larger and seemed to welcome the peace Jökulrós' excursions brought. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't carefully watched, her mother normally kept her within hearing range.

Today, the gangly legged girl sniffed around the flowers near the stream. When she disturbed a squirrel pottering around, she trotted after it as it fled, only stopping when it dashed up one of the forest trees. The filly pouted, nickering softly to the bushy-tailed creature to tell it she meant no harm but it did not budge. She sighed, dejected, and flicked her stubby tail.

Movement through the trees caught her attention, a pale creamy body flashing past the pillars of bark and leaves; Papa! Snorting softly, she dipped her head and immediately began to stalk him, planning to jump out and surprise him when she finally reached him. She had tried it countless times with her mother but somehow the buckskin mare always knew where she would be. She would swing her head nonchalantly to look at the filly and either continue what she was doing, begin grooming the girl or, give chase, which was Jökulrós' favourite reaction. Perhaps her papa would have the same one.

The red-marked filly leapt from the undergrowth in a flurry of rustling leaves and snapping twigs just as she noticed the pale horse make a noise that revealed it was not her father.

She had made a mistake.

Dainty hooves pressed firmly into the soil and then flailed wildly as she attempted to halt her charge. Somehow, she did not end up in a heap on the ground but instead stood with long limbs splayed and wide eyes darting between the two strangers. She clacked her teeth submissively at them and shrunk her posture to become less offensive. A small figure caught the corner of eye in the undergrowth, it had obviously made the same mistake. Continuing to chew at the air, blue eyes rolled back to reveal the  the whites and she sidestepped slowly to where the colt lay. When she reached him, she folded her legs down next to him and lay her head on his back defensively - she was bigger after all, it was her job to protect him. Frightened eyes peered at the two pale horses and she wished her mother or father were here.